Serial entrepreneur and business mentor Allison Maslan has built ten successful companies from the ground up starting as a single mom on her own. Her client list has included Ben & Jerry’s, Charlotte Russe, Supercuts, and Allstate. She has also been a world-renowned homeopath for the past 20 years which adds a unique whole person approach to her innovative business strategies. In this episode, she shares what so many of today’s entrepreneurs are missing when it comes to achieving success in life and work.
Stephen Heiner is an entrepreneur who owns several lifestyle businesses – in real estate, tourism, publishing and podcasting, and a particular passion: writing. He is in his 4th year of residence in Paris, where he is pursuing a French passport, the language itself, and the perfect walk. He spends all but all but 100 days a year in France, and can often be found in the US – specifically Kansas City – or in other European countries. In this episode, Stephen shares his entrepreneur insights and philosophies, some of which may push your comfort zones.
Cam Bishop has extensive experience building, buying, and running companies. For over 30 years, he has led companies owned by a broad range of international, regional and institutional private equity. He's managed a workforce of nearly 2000 employees located in cities across the U.S. and several foreign countries. Most recently he combined his expertise in business and passion for fitness to launch Muscle Metrics, a company focused on body composition testing with the Bod Pod. In this episode Cam shares leadership and business insights you can apply no matter your industry or role.
Have you ever taken an online quiz? If so there's a possibility Interact was the platform used to create it. To date, Interact has worked with brands like Starbucks, The United Nations, Home Depot, World Wildlife’s Fund and many more. They’ve helped companies around the world generate more than 4 million new email subscribers. In this episode, you’re going to hear Interact's co-founder Josh Haynam share entrepreneur insights on starting a company as well as the how to’s for content marketing, engagement and landing new customers and clients.
Working in an animal shelter and seeing 3 animals come in and less going out inspired Michelle Rivera to find a solution to the problem of pet homelessness. In 2002, without financial backing or an advisory board already in place, Michelle embarked on the most challenging career path ever to start Spay & Neuter Kansas City.
SNKC was the first and is now largest “targeted” spay/neuter program in Kansas City. With over 100,000 spay/neuters to date, they have impacted the overall reduction of animals killed in Kansas City’s area shelters. Michelle recognized the need to expand services beyond free/low-cost spay and neuter programs. SNKC also has the Families Better Together Outreach Program, a wellness clinic and food pantry serving over 20,000 pets each year. In this episode Michelle shares entrepreneurial and leadership insights that you can apply no matter what business you are in.
Cameron Herold is known as the business growth guru and Forbes calls him the CEO whisperer. By age 21, Cameron had 14 employees and by the age of 35, he'd help build his first two $100 million dollar companies. By the age of 42, he engineered 1-800-GOT-JUNK?'s spectacular growth from $2 million to $106 million in revenue, and 3100 employees in just six years. Cameron is the mastermind behind hundreds of clients exponential growth and they will tell you he speaks only from experience. He's the author of three books including The Miracle Morning for Entrepreneurs, Meetings Suck, and the global best-selling book Double Double.
No matter if you're looking to start a business or grow your business, you'll gain valuable insights from this episode!
Coss Marte, former inmate turned CEO, knows he beat the odds. By age 19, Coss was making $2 million a year running one of the largest drug delivery services in New York. At 23 he was caught and faced seven years in prison. Upon entering prison, the medical unit told him he could die in prison because at 5'8" and 230 pounds, he was overweight with dangerously high blood pressure.
A year before he was scheduled to be released, Coss ended up in solitary confinement. During that time, he refocused, starting working out in his cell and without any equipment, lost 70 pounds in six months. He also helped 20 inmates lose over 1000lbs. It was during an Alcohol/Substance Abuse Treatment meeting where he came up with a business plan and the idea for Conbody was formed.
After Coss was released, he applied the same marketing tactics that he used to build his drug business to build his fitness business. With the help of Defy Ventures, he entered a business pitch competition and was awarded $100,000 via Shark Tank's Barbara Corcoran and the Young President's Organization to open Conbody Studios.
Angel Morales will tell you pushing comfort zones is a must no matter what role you're in. As the head of C3 International, he works with clients in 25 countries and it started with a simple phone call to a friend. Angel's multi-language and multi-cultural skills along with his experience and expertise in international marketing have made him a sought-after consultant for clients in various industries who seek to achieve success with strategic and marketing programs targeted at families and children. As a creative with the wheels always spinning, Angel turned a carbon fiber wallet he created for himself into a second company - Tailwag. In this episode you'll learn the keys to launching and growing a business in international markets. The bonus, you can apply the same insights domestically too.
Mental toughness is the birthplace of personal leadership development. LaRae Quy knows firsthand that mental toughness is not something you're born with. As an FBI undercover and counterintelligence agent for 24 years, she faced stressful fast-moving situations, risk, and deception on a regular basis. In this episode, LaRae shares insights learned in the field that you can use to move through discomfort zones and tackle limiting beliefs to achieve bolder goals.
In 1989 when the economy was unstable, Mitchell Gold knew he had to break some of the rules to succeed in the furniture industry and it paid off in a big way. From an initial investment of $60,000, Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams has grown to $250 million in annual sales with 30 signature stores, boutique shops, as well as an e-commerce and hospitality division.
His defiance of conventional wisdom and investment in his employees helped fuel the meteoric growth of the company. Mitchell runs his business with the same passion and commitment he brings to his work on behalf of LGBT equality.
“Great things won’t happen to you unless you put yourself into uncomfortable situations.” Chef and restaurateur Celina Tio knows getting uncomfortable has been key in her success. Her path was influenced by her family and Julia Child at an early age. She developed the skills necessary to be an award winning chef and combined that with an entrepreneur spirit and desire to tackle the challenges that come with opening restaurants. In this episode, Chef Tio shares insights gained and lessons learned along the way.
Perry Brandt's forty-year law practice is defined not by the clients he's served or the trials he's won, but by principals that have made him one of the most sought-after and respected lawyers in his industry. Even though the stakes of his cases have grown from millions to billions of dollars, Perry's fundamental perspective has remained unchanged: being a lawyer is the ultimate people business. He believes in being a positive leader who improves every situation he's in. In this episode, Perry shares his insights on leadership, persuasion and mastering skills while having fun in the process.
Launching a successful technology startup takes vision, guts, execution, and patience. Drew D'Agostino recognized the importance of communication between individuals and within organizations. He created Crystal, a technology platform that analyzes public data on the internet. Crystal gives you personality information for everyone you contact helping you to communicate better with empathy. His company has been featured in Business Insider, Forbes, Wired, and CNN to name a few. in this episode, Drew shares entrepreneurial insights and lessons learned while growing his company. As for the bedbugs, that was Drew's oh sh#t moment that took his business endeavors in another direction.
Fred Pryor is a renowned speaker, author, and philanthropist. He pioneered the one-day seminar business model in 1970. He recognized the need for companies to provide leadership training to employees that focused on internal drivers like motivation and achievement. Not only did he write the curriculum, he taught the class that generated organizational results. After speaking an average of 225 times a year Fred expanded his vision to create a professional development business that today has transformed into Fred Pryor Seminars and CareerTrack. In this episode, Fred shares his wisdom and philosophies on business and life.
Howard Putnam's passion for aviation began early on. He learned to fly out of a pasture in his Father's J-3 Piper Cub. His career didn't start out of college but instead as a baggage handler at Midway Airport. He held 13 different positions before being named to Group VP of Marketing for United in 1976.
Howard was recruited to become President and CEO of Southwest Airlines in 1978. He led the visioning process and further developed the fun culture and excellent customer service that Southwest is known for today.
In 1981 he was recruited by Braniff International to restructure the financially failing airline. He was the first airline CEO to successfully take a major carrier into and out of chapter 11. This episode is packed full leadership wisdom and stories to remember.
"If you're going to be on it,run it." During the past 39 years, Ed Holland has worked hard at being a successful restaurateur and leader as well as actively giving back to the community. In this episode, Ed shares why creating experiences for your customers and team will give you an advantage in business. You'll also learn how the power of mental wages, a smile and an orange can keep you on your game. This episode is a little longer than most as there was so much wisdom to share. The laughs are an added bonus!
The path to success isn't always what you think. At the age of twenty-two, CiCi Rojas was a single mother of four with limited job options. She had a choice to settle but instead chose to turn her perceived impediments into opportunities. She has over twenty years experience serving in executive roles across private, public and nonprofit sectors. CiCi is a locally and nationally recognized leader within the Hispanic community and beyond.
In this episode, CiCi shares how to be the master of your game no matter what your role, the power of strategic visibility and more.
There are approximately 750 craft distillers in the U.S. today which contribute to only 2% of sales compared to the big distilleries. Even with those odds, Steve and Lisa Strong will tell you that they would rather bet on themselves than someone else. But isn't that what entrepreneurs do? S.D. Strong Pillar 136 Gin might have launched just in May 2015, but it's already won top honors in several competitions beating out better-known producers.
It takes more than making great spirits to operate a successful business. In this conversation from the cave (60+ feet below ground), Steve and Lisa share their insights, strategies and ah ha's that you can apply to your business. #madeinacave
Contrary to what you might think, Sandra Yancey didn't start eWomenNetwork because she liked networking. She started it because she saw a way to solve a problem for introverts (herself included) who didn't like crowds and attending events.
From its start above Sandra's garage in 2000, eWomenNetwork has expanded to 118 chapters in six countries and helped thousands of women grow their businesses.
In this episode, Sandra shares a wealth of insights including the importance of doing people math, how to 'shift the dance' at a networking event, using the three E's (example, explain and expand) to open up a conversation, her top book picks and more.
Did you know LinkedIn is the 12th most searched website on the internet? It's a powerful platform for individuals and businesses that choose to leverage it to their potential. In this episode, JD Gershbein, one of the world's top thought leaders on LinkedIn strategy, shares insights to expand your thought leadership, generate leads and advance your business goals.
JD is an acclaimed social business psychologist, frequent broadcast media expert on LinkedIn for business, and a featured writer for the Huffington Post and Forbes. He is the only practitioner in the world who combines LinkedIn profile writing, corporate LinkedIn consulting to the Fortune 500 sector, and instruction at the graduate school level at a major academic institution into his value proposition.
Perry Puccetti served around the world as Marine Corps attack helicopter pilot for over a decade learning the importance of values such as persistence and mission accomplishment. It's the true meaning of teamwork that Perry has really carried with him over the years and into his role as a CEO.
In this episode, Perry shares advice and lessons learned from his corporate adventures including:
The favorite question in each podcast is, "what has been one of your oh $hit moments?" I think Perry's is my all time favorite because it involves an 8' javelin, a taxicab and getting lost in Europe. He proves that even these moments can turn to gold.
"Every opportunity is on the other side of fear." In some businesses, you can see a fairly quick payoff of your efforts. In the wine industry its years in the making from the vine to bottle. James and Lindsay Lowery of KC Wineworks will tell you that every grape that comes off the vine is full of unrealized potential to be a great wine; you just have to figure out how not to screw it up. If it’s a raisin, it’s a tragedy.
Being an entrepreneur takes vision and education. In the case of James and Lindsay, you can also add combined talents of a husband and wife team. The passion came at an early age. The farmland the vineyard is on has been in the family since 1870's, and they bottled their wine long before growing production for other wineries since 2002. Launching KC Wineworks in 2014 was no small feat, and they're still learning lessons. No matter what your business is, you'll find value in this episode! #drinkMOwine
"The biggest threat to your business is not your competition. The biggest threat to your business is sitting in your head; it’s called your mind."
Rebel Brown spent 25 years as an executive consultant in high technology and worked with over 300 global organizations. Over the years, Rebel watched smart people make some bad business decisions. It was her series of personal 'oh shit moments' that brought her to her knees and turned into the most powerful moment in her life. She became fascinated with the human mind and its impact on our ability to see new opportunities and shift behaviors. The result was creating a methodology for guiding businesses and executives to break out leadership success. In this episode, Rebel shares how you can apply this powerful insight to grow your business. Of course, there are value adds galore!
Mary Carol Garrity, the founder of Nell Hills, has garnered national attention with Forbes magazine dubbing her “one of the hottest little retailers” in America. She has been featured on CBS’s The Early Show and NBC’s Today Show, and in The Wall Street Journal, Fortune, Midwest Living, Country Living, Victoria, and many more. Mary Carol is the author of nine books on home decorating; a weekly decorating blog Style at Home with Mary Carol Garrity, and a column syndicated weekly throughout the U.S.
After 35 years in business, Mary Carol knows what it takes to build and maintain a thriving business despite changing markets significant challenges including the crash of 2008. No matter what your business is, this episode is worth a listen!
Never being afraid to ask is one of the secrets to Kyu Lee's success. Kyu is the founder and CEO of Wiselike, the 'ask me anything' platform. He's considered a rising star in the tech community and his company is one of Huff Post's top 10 to watch. Hard to believe considering that just a few years ago he wasin college at UCLA without the knowledge or network to raise millions in venture capital funding and build a rock solid team.
In this episode, Kyu shares key steps and pitfalls to avoid on an entrepreneurial journey. The value adds include ways to maximize the Wiselike platform and experts to connect to. It's worth listening to!